Previous: Doing what you like.
Are you making something you care about? Does your job or career produce the books you love, the services you care about, the games you like? Does your job make things meaningful to your geeky or fannish heart, even if what you do may not seem like something a raging fan, nerd, geek, or otaku would do?
If so, then you've had a valuable lesson – that sometimes you can find fulfillment in being a profane not by what you do directly, but by the results of that action.
If you don't have this situation . . . then read on
Not everything we're good at or we like to do on the job necessarily can or will relate to our hobbies, interests, and geekery. We may like to do certain activities that don't apply to our interests, we may be good at "ungeeky" things (and enjoy them), we may just not like to do things related to our hobbies.
You may love anime but you may not want to act, draw, or write. You may love video games and hate programming. You may enjoy mystery novels but not want to write or edit.
If this is the case (or if it is not and your job is insanely geektastic), being able to help produce things you love, care about, and geek over can lead to fulfillment in your life and career. You truly know what makes a good book/movie/game/network, you truly care about the industry, and you feel, viscerally, the results of good work.
Sounds pretty worth it to me . . .
– Steven Savage